Clothespin



A. WHITLOCK.

CLOTHESPIN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1920.

. L348A65 PatentedAug. 3,1920.

CLOTHESPIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Application filed March 1, 1920. Serial No. 362,618.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, ALLEN VVnIrLooK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and Estate of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothespins, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

. be efiiciently clamped to This invention relates to "an improved clothes pin, and an object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind, which is simple, eflicient and practical, and capable of being cheaply made and sold at a reasonable profit.

Another object involves the construction of a clothes pin from a-single length of spring wire coiled upon itself with its opposite end portions twisted together as shown to insure resiliency for the convolutions of the coil of the pin, in other words, to insure clamping actions, wherebythe clothes may the line.

Another object resides in a clothes pin, so constructed froml a single length of spring wire that the loop of the wire may be so disposed with relation tothe twisted end portions as to permit the line to engage be tween the loop and an end portion ofthe twisted parts so as to retain the pin atall times on the line, and to permit the clamping jaws (which constitute part of the coil) to have freedom of clamping actions on the clothes, and to allow the pin to be adjusted to any suitable location upon the line for the purpose of supporting the clothes at any location.

A still further object is to provide a clothes pin wherein the loop of the coil is interposed between the clamping parts of the coil so that the loop of the coil may ride upon the clothes line, when adjusting the clothes pin to any suitable location, and so that the clothes pin can be easily and very quickly detached from the line, that is to say when the pin is not permanently carried upon the clothes line.

Additionally the invention aims to provide a clothes pin wherein the clothes line is capable of engaging between the loop and certain clamping parts of the pin, whereby the loop may ride under the clothes line, hence at all times permitting the pin to be permanently carried by the line. In this instance the clothes pin can be disposed at right angles to the clothes line, in order to more securely clamp the clothes in position.

The invention also aims to provide a clothes pin which be disposed so that the clamping jaws m'ay'engage the clothes line and the twisted shank lie adjacent to and in parallelism with the clothes line, whereby clothes may be clamped not only between clamping parts of the coil, but also between the twisted shank and the line so that portions of more than one piece of clothing may be clamped to the line.

While the design and construction at pres ent illustrated and set forth is deemed preferable, it is obvious that as a result of a reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the invention maybe susceptible'to changes, and the right to these. changes is claimed, provided they are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth, shownin the drawings and claimed.

' Inthe drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the improved clothes pin constructed in accordance with the invention and as applied to a clothes line, i

Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1, i c

Fig. 3 is a'persnective view of a clothes pin also constructed in accordance with the invention and applied in a modified way to the clothes line, i

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4; of Fig. 3, and Y Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clothes pin showing it applied to a line in an en tirely different manner to that shown in either of the other figures.

Referring to these drawings 1 designates the clothes pin as a whole and which is constructed from a single length of spring wire material as shown. The first step in forming the clothes pin as herein shown consists in bending the spring wire substantially at its medial portion to form the loop 2. The sides 3 of the wire beyond the curve or arch of the loop 2 are continued in curved form in opposite directions in order to cause circular clamping coil jaws, 4, which coiiperate with the side portions 3, whereby clothes may be clamped therebethe loop 2 and where the portions of the" wire as at (S are first twisted together as at tween. The opposite portions of the wire approximately a short distance beyond the portions 4 extends in "positions offset from the loop 2 as shown clearlyflin Fig. I so that the clothes line 5 may engage between 1. .The portions of the wire as at 7 are twisted together to form a shank or a clothes pin handle 8, whereby the clothes pin may be easily manipulated along the line to different positions for the purpose of sup porting and clamping clothes.

is shown in Fig. 1 it is to be observed that the pin can be applied upon the line so that the line may be positioned between the loop 2 and the opposite sides of the jaws 4 at a close position to the portion 6 of the pin. The clothes pin can be easily adjusted along the line and in such an instance, the jaws 3 and 4 act to securely clamp the clothes. In this instance, the clothes pin is practically permanently carriedby the clothes line. In fact in stringing the clothes line one end of the line is passed between the loop 2 and the parts 6 of the pin as indicated in Fig. 1. .t is obvious that by this arrangement the clamping jaws 3 and I are closetogether, and are capable of deriving their full clamping actions, and furthermore thick clothes may be more easily clamped'between the jaws. However, in Fig. 3 theclothes pin is capable "of being detached after the clothes line has been strung, since the line is interposed between the jaws 3 and 4 so that the line may rest under the loop 2. In this instance, the clothes pin can be moved along the clothes line in any position and detached. Furthermore,the pin when applied to the line in Fig. 3 can be disposed as shown in Fig. 5 in which instance the handle. or twisted part 8 of the clothes pinv may lie adjacent to and in parallelism with the line, thereby permitting the jaws 3 and 4c upon both sides of the clothes line to beused for clamping clothes, as well as permitting clothes to be clamped between the handle or twisted part andthe line.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is A clothespin constructed from a single length of spring wire being bent or curved upon itself it a point substantially at its medial portion, thereby forming a medial loop of circular form, portions of the wire beyond the loop being returned in curved formation toward a portion of the loop adj acent where the wire is first bent upon itself, thereby forming a plurality of clothes line engaging coils, the'wire material be yond the returned portions of curved formation being permanently twisted and interlocked with each other in close position, thereby forming a handle, said twisted end portions having their free end terminals terminating in close position to each other, said clothes pin adjacent where the end portions are first twisted together at a point wherethe wire material is first bent or curved upon itself having an opening of Substantial size to permit of the reception of the clothes line which engages where the wire material is first bent or curved upon itself and the portions where the handle is first twisted together thereby permitting the clothes pin to slide upon the line as well as swivel on the line and whereby the pin may be disposed at right angles to the line with, the loop extending upwardly or downwardly, said twisted portions of the handle being twisted and connected together subsequently to attaching the clothes line to its supporting means, said plurality of coils being yieldable and of substantial diameters thereby constituting clothes clampingjaws capable of disposition substantially parallel with the clothes line whereby articles may be suspended substantially in alinement with the clothes line.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

ALLEN WHITLOCK. 

